


All Because of a Dakimakura

by amageish



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Comedy, F/F, Fluff, Literal Sleeping Together, No Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:22:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29666523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amageish/pseuds/amageish
Summary: When on the road with the Phantom Thieves, the girls are basically having a nightly slumber party...But what happens when Futaba brings out her body pillow?...Makoto/Haru fluff set during early game of Persona 5 Strikers, with no spoilers beyond the basic roadtrip premise. No smut, in spite of the title.
Relationships: Niijima Makoto/Okumura Haru
Comments: 7
Kudos: 36





	All Because of a Dakimakura

It all started so simply.

“What _is_ that?” Ann had asked.

“My pajamas! Aren't they cute? They have little triforces on them.” Futaba had replied, happily. 

“No, that!” Ann had clarified.

“Oh! This is Chiaki. I sleep with her.”

“You sleep with a pillow with an anime girl printed on it?”

“No! Chiaki’s from a visual novel! I mean, okay, there _is_ an anime, but, like, we don’t _talk_ about that anime. The anime does not exist.”

“That doesn’t change much, honestly…”

“Look. Chiaki’s comfy and comforting. What. Are you jealous?”

“What? No! Isn’t it creepy to wake up in the middle of the night and find a pair of eyes staring at you?”

“Of course not. Do you think Ren finds it creepy when he wakes up with Morgana staring at him?”

“But Morgana’s alive and _not a pillow_. It’s an entirely different thing!”

“It’s the exact same thing!”

Makoto had interrupted the two of them, not realizing what she was getting herself into.

“Futaba’s comfort is important Ann. Her pillow -”

“Chiaki”

“Chiaki is not hurting anyone. Let’s just get to sleep.”

Ann had simply sighed. “Fine.”

They had no idea what they were in for.

…

One night later, Futaba suddenly had four body pillows - one with a plain red cover, one with a plain blue cover, one with a plain pink cover, and, of course, her Chiaki.

“Surprise!” Futaba said, with a beaming smile. “I know you were all eying my Chiaki, so I asked Sophia to order us a set to match!”

“I definitely didn’t ask for this.” Ann replied.

“Oh come on. I saw the way you looked at Chiaki. You wanted something fluffy to cuddle with too, didn’t you?”

“No, I mostly was just worried she was going to come to life and strangle you.”

This time Haru was the one to interject.

“I think these are really nice, Futaba! I’m sure they’ll be really cozy.”

“They are! They’re wonderful pillows. I’m sure they’ll help you sleep better.”

Ann sighed. “Honestly, this van isn’t as cozy as I was hoping for… I’m willing to give it a try.”

“Perfect!” Futaba said excitedly. “You won’t regret this.”

Ann grabbed the red pillow. “I hope not…”

Makoto nodded, mostly glad that the conversation had been resolved peacefully, feeling rather neutral on the actual presence of the pillows. She reached out to grab the blue one, but Haru grabbed it before she could.

_Well_ , she thought. _Pink is hardly my colour, but it’ll work_.

And so, the women settled down and went to sleep. 

…

Makoto stared at the ceiling of the van. A woman of routines, she had a specific order to her bedtime routine since she was a child and this trip had thrown all of them off. This didn’t render sleep impossible, thankfully, but she certainly took longer to fall asleep then the other girls did, as evidenced by the intensely audible snoring of both Ann and Futaba.

“Mako-chan…”

“Haru? You’re awake too?” Makoto asked, in a hushed whisper. 

Haru was in the bed next to Makoto, so Makoto figured it was safe for them to talk without waking Ann and Futaba, at least for a little while. 

“Mako-chan… You’re so soft…”

“Haru?” Makoto gasped with slight shock. “That’s… actually really nice of you to say. I sometimes worry I give off too rugged of a vibe. I’m willing to be disciplinarian when needed, but I like to think I have a softer side.”

Haru was quiet for a few moments. Makoto worried she had said too much... Maybe Haru was judging her for opening up too much so late?

“Mako-chan… Would you like to kiss me?”

It took all of Makoto’s will not to scream. 

She certainly wasn’t opposed to kissing Haru, but not like this! Maybe Ren had the charm to say such a thing and make it appear romantic through spontaneity, but Haru’s vibe was _much_ more dinner and flowers... probably an expensive dinner featuring a variety of fancy ingredients Makoto wouldn’t be able to pronounce the names of and a set of flowers Makoto would quietly google the meaning of later, but, still, Haru's vibe was traditional romance!

Not a sudden request for a kiss while in a group sleeping setting.

It didn’t make sense.

So, Makoto sat up to look at Haru, who… was asleep and hugging her pillow very closely.

“Haru?” she quietly asked.

“Mako-chan… You’re such a good cuddler…”

Makoto sighed. 

_Well. I guess she doesn’t think of me as that kind of soft after all…_

_But I suppose she does think of me as… cuddly._

_I can’t use this information for anything. That’d just be unfair._

_I’ll just act like everything’s normal._

_Haru’s probably just having a one-off dream anyway… I can’t imagine she’d really like someone like me._

_Though, just to be safe, I should probably tell Futaba to take the pillows back though…_

_We don’t want to make this a routine._

…

The next morning, Makoto woke up and still felt tired. She was tossing and turning, listening to Haru mutter about her “darling Mako-chan” and her enjoyment of their cuddling. It was entirely non-sexual, thankfully, but it was more than enough to keep Makoto distracted. So, for Makoto, sleeping with the pillow seemed like a very counterintuitive to getting her to get a good sleep.

Her opinion was, however, not the opinion of the majority.

“You were totally right Futaba!” Ann said, smiling. “That was surprisingly comfortable!”

“I told you so!” Futaba replied. “They’re just really good pillows.”

Haru nodded her agreement. “That was one of the best nights of sleep I’ve ever had! Mako-chan, how was your sleep?”

Makoto stared at the smiling faces of her three closest friends.

“The pillow was quite soft.”

Everyone nodded.

Makoto sighed.

This was going to be a long trip

…

It was not a one-time thing. 

Haru was inadvertently exhausting Makoto with love and affection.

It turned out that Makoto was right. Haru did want to buy people followers before romantic liaisons. She muttered about flowers a lot, which ones she bought for her Mako-chan and what they mean.

Frankly, it was very educational!

But also counter-intuitive to Makoto’s rest and relaxation

So, as they prepared for another infiltration in the metaverse, Makoto drank down another energy drink eagerly.

“Woah, Makoto!” Ryuji exclaimed. “Are you sure you can handle that much?”

“I follow the label and only drink the allowed amount! It’ll be fine.”

“I mean, yeah, but you still shouldn’t be drinking those willy-nilly. Is… everything okay, Prez?”

“Don’t call me that; I’m not your President anymore… and, yes, I’m fine.”

“Are you… sleeping okay?”

Makoto sighed.

“Is it that obvious?”

“Not really… I only really noticed as I think we’re in, uh… similar camps.”

“I suppose it was foolish for us to divide sleeping quarters by gender, given… everything about our dynamic.”

“Nah. I get it. And the tent ain’t… that bad.”

“Nor is the van… It’s just…”

“Being close to everyone?”

“I’m fine being close with my friends! I’m less fine with them talking about how they want to kiss or cuddle me…”

“They’re doing that… For real?! That’s just mean. Do you need me to smack sense into someone for you?”

“What? No! Do you really think you could take Haru in a fight anyway?”

“Oh, wait, this is Haru?! Yeah, nah, I’m not doing that.”

“Look, Haru’s fine… She just has a habit of talking in her sleep… about me.”

“Ohhhh. In her sleep. Not, like, teasing you. Yeah, uh, that. That sucks.”

“It’s a little bit frustrating…”

“Look, you gotta talk to her.”

“No, I really shouldn’t… She’s a good friend and I don’t want to ruin that! What she dreams about is her business.”

“Yeah, but if her actions are affecting you, then that’s a problem? Even if they’re not, like, consciously intended. Haru cares about you. She’s been through a lot of shit and if she’s not ready for a relationship, then, like, of course! But I don’t think she’d want you to be losin’ sleep or anything…”

“That… that’s probably true.”

“Yeah. So, just talk to her, okay?”

Makoto sighed. "Yeah... I'll do that."

“And for now… A run always wakes my body up. Wanna work out before we go into the metaverse?”

Makoto smiled. “Sure Ryuji. And… thanks.”

“Hey, don’t mention it.”

…

It takes another few days before Makoto worked up the courage to talk to Haru.

They sit at a cafe where Makoto drinks her third coffee for the day.

“Mako-chan… You know too much caffeine isn’t healthy, right? Have you needed to rely on it for university?”

Makoto sighs. “I’m well aware… And, no, it’s, uh, a more recent development.”

“Okay…"

An awkward pause.

“Are we okay?” Haru asks. “I feel like you’ve been a bit distant lately…”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Is it the driving? I’m sorry I don’t have my license… Had I known this was all going to happen, I would have gotten it….”

“No! No. It’s nothing like that… I’m sorry. I just don’t know a subtle way to approach this topic...”

“Well, you’re the strategist. You should know when something has to be approached head-on…”

Makoto chuckles briefly. “Thanks. So, uh, you keep talking about me in your sleep.”

“I’m sorry; what?”

A second awkward pause.

Haru bursts out into laughter.

“Well… You’re taking this well…”

“I never knew I talked in my sleep! I guess I just haven’t really had a sleepover before? I never had that kind of friend as a child and have never shared a room with anyone either… Even at college, I have a private dormitory.”

“Wow. I… suppose that makes sense?”

“Well, I’m sorry you’ve been keeping this to yourself this whole time, especially if it’s made you lose sleep. You can trade beds with Futaba, okay? She sleeps like a rock.”

“R-right. That makes sense… Um… Thank you…”

“But that is hilarious though… What was I saying? Was I having a full conversation with you?”

“Not really… Like, you weren’t listening to me and replying or anything... You were talking to your pillow as if the pillow is me..."

“Oh. Well, that’s less fun than talking to you… So, what kind of stuff do I say?"

“Well… It was primarily about how pretty I am… and how much you want to cuddle me… and gentle reassurances about how pretty I am… discussions of romantic gestures you want to perform. Lots of humming and hawing about which types of flowers would best symbolize your feelings for me?”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Well. Look, if you’re uncomfortable staying with me, then I understand and am willing to move to the tent with the guys.”

“Haru, I’m not asking for you -"

“No, seriously! I want you to be comfortable first and foremost. The guys are fine - and, if they’re not fine, then I am sure that I can protect myself.”

“Haru. I do not doubt your ability to murder our friends. I’m not asking you to do that. In fact, I specifically request you do not do that.”

“I would _never_ do that! I’d only maim them.”

“Haru. I’m fine with you staying with us. Just… we need to sort our relationship out, okay?” 

“Well, if you’re losing sleep over the disgust of me being interested in you, then I just assumed…”

“No. What? Haru, I like you too.”

“Oh.”

“I was losing sleep over what to do about you being interested in me.”

“Oh.”

“And, like, I wasn’t comfortable acting on it when I only know because of you talking in your sleep.”

“I don’t know… Using information gained from the subconscious kind of seems like the Phantom Thieves’ MO, isn’t it?”

“It’s different when it’s our lives.. Look, we’re very different people. We’re on different paths in our lives. We’re of completely different classes! You’ve got, like, a corporate empire to manage while my biggest commitment right now is maintaining a spreadsheet to keep track of what Buchimaru merchandise I do and do not own.”

“Mako-chan… No offense, but I think you’re overthinking this? I like you… You like me… Let’s just give it a shot? If things don’t work out long-term, then that’s okay too! But wouldn’t you rather be together now then to… just… stare at each other longingly?”

“I suppose so…”

“So then let’s give it a try, Mako-chan! Let’s just go out. Embrace it while we can.”

“You’re right. No reason not to give it a go! So… Haru, would you like to go out with me?”

Haru chuckles. “Not exactly the romantic confession I dreamed of... But, yes, let’s go out.”

They smiled at each other, embracing the brief moment of calm.

“Also, before I forget: Big Bang Burger will be doing a Buchimaru collaboration soon, soooo… Should I get you a set of the toys, or….?"

“Oh, yeah, I’d appreciate that. I mean, I think it’d be at least a bit embarrassed ordering enough Junior Combos to collect them all.”

“Okay, yeah, that makes sense! Now... If this is all set, then let's go and get you some sleep."

"I... could really use that..."

"And, as your girlfriend, it's now my responsibility to make sure you take care of yourself."

Makoto blushes, but agrees and follows her out of the cafe.

Soon Haru'd have a napping Makoto in her arms, instead of just a pillow.

**Author's Note:**

> Welp. I paused my writing of a Makoto/Haru story in favour of a different Makoto/Haru story… This ship is slightly consuming me...
> 
> Anyway, Persona 5 Strikers is really fun from what I’ve played thus far (I'm in Dungeon 3)! Haru has a lot of character moments and I really like how they foregrounded some traits from her confidant in story scenes (ex/ the fascination with exotic foods). I’m really surprised and happy with it~!
> 
> Thanks for reading and comments are always appreciated.


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